Getting Ready To Setup and Operate
Your
First Ham Radio Station as a New Technician
Class Operator!By Don Butler, N4UJW
Hamuniverse.com(Updated
06-2014)

Now that you have passed
that Technician exam and you are the proud "owner" of your call sign, some
of you may say to yourself....what's next... or if you are planning on
getting that first license and are still in the planning stage and have
not already setup your first ham radio station for on the air
operation, then here are some good tips and information that you
should think about ahead of time.

The first thing you need to know is that ham radio has a
loooooooong learning curve. You can be a ham for 50 years and still be
learning something new every day if you want to. Also know that Ham radio
may not be "plug and play" like you may expect! You will have many
questions from the start that are not learned in the "books". Get yourself
a good local "Elmer" who can guide you on your way!

What ham radio equipment do I need?What radio should I get? What kind of
antenna? Should I build and antenna or buy one ready made? What
bands should I operate on?What are the most popular ham bands for a
Technician class operator? How about a power supply, what do I
need?Why do I need a power supply? What kind of coax
should I buy?What types of connectors do I need for coax?Should I
operate mobile only, base station, both?What about lightning
protection and grounding?Operating in an EMERGENCY situation!What
kinds and types of tools will I need?Where can I get help if I need
it?

Hopefully we will attempt to answer
these questions and others or at least get you going in the right
direction! You will have to do your research as to what rig, what antenna
to build or buy, what rating power supply and many other questions that
only you can answer. What is right for my station setup may not be the
same thing you want or need. If you came here to get brand and model
recommendations, stop reading now, but if you want a good general idea of
how to set up your first ham station then read
on.......

This
article is in no way intended to be all inclusive and would be impossible,
but is intended to make you ask yourself questions so you can be a better
than average ham radio operator! If you ask yourself a question that you
can't answer, then to get the answer....is up to you! Do your
research!

Introduction

We get many
emails from "Newbies" to ham radio who don't have the slightest idea of
where to start building their station so they can get on the air and start
having fun with ham radio. Many are excited about getting their license
but are still in the study stage and start thinking about the future when
they do get that license.Thousands of new hams come from all walks of life with
little or no training, background, or related education that can be
directly used to help them set up a station. Ham radio can be a very
technical "hobby" and knowing some basic electronics, electricity, and
some very simple laws of physics will help.It's not rocket
science....just a couple of steps under that!
GRIN!If you don't have this type of background then just a word of
warning, you may be considered just an "appliance operator with a license"
by some hams. Sorry, I do not intend to make you mad or offend you, or
downgrade you in any way, but this is the way some of the old timer hams
look upon the "newbies" who have little or no radio related or electronic
background and only passed an exam by memory work! Just overlook them
and they will go away and learn what you need to know to become a good
operator by learning more and more each day about the things you really
need to know that was not on the exam.

People
with little or no related ham radio background must rely on the
instructions that come with ham equipment and the advice of other
experienced hams to help them get their station on the
air.Sometimes the operator's manual......is too simple.....or just the
opposite....way too complicated if you are not familiar with ham radios in
general and the basic hookup procedures to get a station on the air. The
"newbie" can be overwhelmed with all of the "stuff" that he needs to know
before he puts his station on the air.

Some
study manuals do not help very much in this respect when it comes to
setting up a new ham radio station because they are designed to help you
pass the exam and do not to teach you thousands of other things you need
to know that won't be on the exam questions. These "other" things you need
to know will come with time and much help from either your research on the
internet, books, (yes, you will have to do lots of reading and more study
now that you have your license), ham friends, and many other
sources.
"Any knowledge gained by extra
study on your part will make you a much better and respected operator and
will help you advance in ham radio. We all were not born knowing
everything, so it will take time and lots of effort on your part along
with the help of others. Don't expect to learn it all
from the internet....you will need to buy....yes...buy reference
books that are great teaching tools for all the information you may need.
Check out some of the reference books and ads on this page....get
them...and start learning more!"

If you don't see the
highly recommended "ARRL Operating
Manual" listed in the ad below...just click on
any of the ads and use the Amazon search...you will find it! This is
considered the "Bible" of ham radio!

Most new hams today are starting out in ham radio with a
Technician class license. This license opens the door to much ham radio
fun. You should remember that you now have all ham operator privileges
from the 6 meter ham band and every ham band higher in frequency. Plus,
you also have limited privileges on some of the HF bands including CW only on 80, 40, 15 meters and CW plus VOICE
on a portion of 10 meters. So using this information, you should have
already decided whether you will start out on HF or 6 meters and above or
the lower frequency bands you now have. Most new hams start out on 2
meters, the most popular VHF ham band.

All of the information below will apply to either set up, HF
or VHF/UHF.

A 2 meter ham station usually consists of a small
transceiver, a power supply, swr/power meter, coax leading outside to the
antenna and connecting cables from each piece of equipment along with a
station ground and something to set it on, and of course, don't forget a
good comfortable chair and a pen and writing pad!Display your license
proudly on the wall or the desk!

One of the
most important things you can do first is to familiarize yourself with ALL
of your ham radio station equipment. This includes everything from
your antenna to the equipment and the desk the equipment is sitting on.
Many new hams start out without being totally at ease with their new ham
transceiver with all those buttons, knobs, switches, etc, so
get that operators manual out and "memorize" it. By knowing what each
function does, you will have a great start at some real on the air
fun.

Now assuming you have at least read the operators
manual for the radio and your antenna and understand what they do and
don't do, then it is time to start getting that station on the air. Plan,
plan, and more planning will help you get it all going. Think everything
out completely, but don't overthink the plan. Many new operators way
overthink their station, then confusion sets in.

It is usually best to install and tune the antenna as the
last step in the process of setting up a new
ham station. It is fine to put it together and find a good high
location for it, but don't mount it in it final position just yet. It
will most likely require some adjusting for best
performance.

You
may already have figured out to hook everything up to the radio including
the antenna...but....DON'T transmit...yet!...Is your antenna tuned
properly according the the instructions that came with it???. Have you
checked the swr? If you know the answers to these questions....still...you
need to wait until your station is completely set up.

Do you even have an swr meter? If
not, buy or borrow one designed for
the bands and frequencies you will use and get that antenna
tuned after your station is ready to go. If you need help, use it's
manual. If you still need help, get a local ham to help you. You will
need to run 50 ohm low loss coaxial cable from your antenna to the radio
location inside your house to a location called your "shack". Use low loss
types for runs over about 15 feet. An excellent recommendation for
very low loss coax is the LMR 400 TYPE if your run is
over about 15 feet and especially if you plan on operating on 2 meters or
the 70cm bands. LMR-240 type coax is also very low loss at hf
frequencies. It can be found at the LMR-400 link above
also. If you have clicked the link, you have found that, YES, LMR-400
is expensive, but remember that you want the rf from your radioat the antenna and not lost in the cheaper
coax especially on the 2 and 70cm
bands!Bottom line, get the lowest loss
per foot coax you can afford for your specific application!

Your
radio location of course is of your choosing, and can be anywhere
inside your home that has access to AC power, and an entry point for
the antenna coax and other wires that may be needed. The closer your radio
is to the outside antenna, the better and you will save on the expense of
the lower loss coax!

You
will also need to install a good station ground just outside the entry
point of the coax. Get a good copper ground rod, 8 feet long and drive it
into the ground just outside the entry point of a window or where it
enters your shack. Keep in mind that the distance from the ground rod
should be as short as possible from it to the equipment inside. It is
never a good idea to have a long distance from
the equipment to the ground rod...remember..as short as possible. Now
run very heavy (large conductor like # 8 size) if you can get it or as
large as you can afford.

The
idea here is to have the least resistance to current flow as
possible. The larger the wire the less resistance. The longer the wire,
the more resistance is usually the case. Connect all of your equipment
using whatever connectors needed to this single ground wire using short
lengths if possible. Use the largest size wire that will fit the
ground connections of your equipment.It is also advisable to install a surge protector with
several AC outlets on it for AC power connections for your station
equipment.

Use metal water pipes as an alternate
ground if you don't have access to a ground rod.

Install a switch in the antenna
feed line that switches the antenna to ground if at all possible. This
helps with lightning protection.

You will need
to have a "place" to set your equipment. This is called your operating
position and is located in your "shack". It can be located just about any
place in your "shack" as needed. It should be located at or near a window
or other location that has easy access to the ground rod and the outside
world for antenna coax, etc as mentioned above. The operating position can
be a desk, table top, closet shelf, etc. Leave plenty of space between the
desk and the wall for running wires, coax, etc.

Try
to plan the layout of your station equipment on the desk, counter top, etc
for future expansion...believe me...you will later need some more space if
you start out with a very small working area. Again, plan, plan and more
planning.

Now
that all of your equipment is set up, refer back to those operating
instructions on the radio, power supply and the antenna to refresh your
memory.

Assuming that you have your antenna is connected to the
swr meter and it to the radio, you are ready to tune the antenna for best
performance.

Use
the instructions that came with the antenna for this...and use LOW POWER,
when adjusting it. Don't forget to ID when
testing! Get help from a local ham if needed.

After
you have adjusted the antenna, then you can mount it in it's final
position. Recheck the swr again using low power and if all is OK,
mount it in it's final location. Your ready to get on the
air!

Suggested tools and simple test equipment and
accessories you may need for your ham station.

A
good swr/power meter rated for your station frequencies and power
level.

A
good volt, ohm milliamp meter or digital meter that can measure
continuity, resistance, voltage and current. Your choice. Get help
from a local ham to help you decide what you may need. This is not a must
have piece of station equipment but certainly comes in handy when
troubleshooting coax problems, power, etc.Assorted hand tools and soldering
equipment:Soldering gun rated at
least 150 watts for soldering coax connectors plus solder.Soldering
iron, your choice depending on your needs. YES, you may have to learn to
solder. Paying someone else for their labor to solder can get
expensive!Wire cutters, assorted pliers, screwdriver assortment,
assorted wrenches, socket sets, as needed.Electrical tape.(You may
have some or all of these on hand anyway.) Many different hand tools will
be required if you get into antenna building or other projects later on.
Don't forget, you will need a good source for hand tools and if you can't
find what you need locally, Harbor Freight is a fantastic source for just
about any hand tool you will ever need. Go to Harbor Freight
Tools for a fantastic source of tools and lots more all ad
deep discounts!

Headphones
for quiet times with the family around. More info
here on station accessories, tools, etc.

Maintain
absolute CONTROL over your ham station. Disconnect the microphone when you
are not around especially if you have kids. You are
responsible for the station anytime it
transmits.

ON THE AIR!Here is an example
of just a couple of random things you need to know more about assuming you
have a station set up with little or no on the air operating on the ham
bands.

During your
first contact on the air, you get the question from the other
operator....."How is my modulation?".......You would not know how to
answer him if you did not know the meaning of the word "modulation"! Look
it up...you will hear that word often....learn all you can about
"modulation".

Here is
another example:

He
asks....."What polarity is your antenna?"

So you can
see, if you had not learned some very basic things about ham radio in the
past...then you would not be able to answer him correctly...you would have
to ask him to define those strange words to you. At least, now you are
asking the questions and hopefully.....learning!

Don't
get me wrong, your first few contacts on the air most likely will be with
total strangers who know nothing about you other than the call sign you
gave them and maybe your first name. They are not there to TEST you!
They do not know if you have a Phd in Physics or whether you are a
electronics engineer, a school kid, a teacher, a construction worker,
janitor or whatever! Most of them don't care one way or the other...they
just want to meet and make new contacts and friends on the air. The only
way they have of finding out more about you and your technical ability is
by asking YOU questions. Details about your personal
background and theirs can be learned in later contacts
BUT....be careful with giving very personal
information over the air....the ham bands are open to all ears with a
receiver! If you are not of legal age...be even
more careful! It might even be wise that you have a parent present when
you are actually on the air if you are not of legal age. Don't give your
exact address over the air if you are under age! If the other operator
wants your address, there are many methods of looking it up....off the
air.

The first few
contacts that you make may not be aware that you are a "newbie" to the ham
bands until they start asking questions like in the above examples. When
they get good answers from you, then they will know that you are well
informed! When you make a new contact, don't be afraid to let him/her know
you are new to ham radio.

So before we
go further...an important thing you need to do in setting up your first
ham radio station is learn all you can FIRST! Knowing some very
basic, basic electronics is a great help. No that was not a mistake...the
word basic was repeated twice on purpose! One of the most basic
electronic skills is learning how to solder.....have you learned yet? How
to use a simple VOM....what's that....see....you need to learn more than
just what may have been on the exam.....do a search on the
internet for terms, phrases, etc that are unfamiliar to you.....there are
many good aids out there to help you learn. Here is a "test" for
you...what is a VFO? Don't know....then look it up.

What is
a PL259? What is an SO239....What is coax? Why all the different
antennas? Where should I start and how? Questions, questions,
questions...they all have answers that you will need to
know.

Getting your station setup!What band or
bands should I operate on?What bands are the most popular for the Tech
Operator?What kind of power supply if any will I need?Up in the
air about antennas!Consider your family when setting up and
using your equipment!Lightning protection and
grounding!

A bit
about your authorized bands.Up until the
time before the new rule changes that allowed Techs to operate on the 10
meter ham band, 2 meters was and may still remain the most
popular ham band! Operation on 10 meters is very dependent on ionospheric
conditions, (skip), the time of year, and very dependent on the 11 year
Solar cycle which at the time of this writing (2008) is at a bottoming out
portion of the cycle but gradually increasing in activity. When 10
meters really starts to open up with the increasing sun spot activity
associated with the 11 year Solar cycle, then it may well be one of the
most popular ham bands for you! Just give it time and you will see how
easy it will be to make contacts worldwide using low power and simple
antennas.

Since
you are a Technician class ham, you now have privileges on portions
of some HF bands plus ALL privileges on all ham bands from 50mhz and
higher.More info on your bands
here.

You need to
decide if you want to operate on just the "upper" vhf bands and above
(50mhz and above), or also use your new privileges on HF also or get
the best of all worlds using all of your privileges on all of your
allowed bands.

This
isyour decisionand
will be based on many variables in your lifestyle, property layout,
budget, equipment needs, etc and really can't be answered by anyone
but you.

If you
decide to operate HF only, then you will have 10 meter voice and
CW, plusCW onlyon the lower HF bands of 80, 40, 15 and 10 meters.
You DO NOT HAVE ANY VOICE PRIVILEGES ON ANY HF BAND EXCEPT A PART OF 10
METERS!

So your
hf transceiver will have to be capable of operation from at least 80
meters thru 10 meters using voice modes (ssb) AND CW.NO...CW IS NOT A REQUIREMENT....but if you use it....you will have to know it....so learn
it! Reading between the lines you may ask, "Well, If I have privileges on
the HF bands, then why can't I use ssb (voice) on the other bands besides
10 meters? Simple answer.......THE FCC PART 97 RULES! NO IFS ANDS OR
BUTS! You should already know this.

You are
required by the FCC as a licensed Amateur Radio Operator to have access to
Part 97...do you have a copy or do you know how
to get access to one?To help you out here, just
clickthis link
and download and save to
your computer.Now back to
transceivers!Most transceivers on the market, new and used come with
both modes, CW and SSB, and some have other modes also
and may have a coverage from 160 meters thru 10 meters. Some do not
include 160 meters. Shop around and let the
buyer beware when buying used equipment and consider the source wisely!

Most stock transceivers for HF come standard with 100 watts
output. Remember, you are limited with your output on the HF bands as a
Technician class ham....check and know the FCC rules. This is required by
the FCC under Part 97! These transceivers usually are
radios with 100 watts as standard output.Some multimode, all band
radios cover it all on all ham bands but are much more expensive and come
with many "bells and whistles" that you may or may not want.As a word
of caution, all those extra bells and whistles will not make your station
any better if you are a poor operator and don't know how to use them
properly. And even then, they may make only marginal
improvements!And above all, don't be tempted to
get out of your portion of the band....remember.....the FCC may be
watching over your shoulders!

Operating only on 2 meter repeaters. Simplex
operationBase station or mobile:

Let's
pretend for a moment that you have decided to operate only on 2 meters
and/or the 440 ham bands from a base
station (your home) for a start, like most new hams do until you can
get some experience under your belt and intend to study more to get your
General class license as soon as you can.

You will
need a transceiver, that covers the 2
meter ham band or a dual band radio that covers also the 440 ham band plus
they should be capable of working thru repeaters using PL tones. The cheapest way out would be a single band
radio for say...2 meters only, if money is an object. They can be had in
either small low powered handheld (ht) units operated from internal
batteries (rechargeable), or small external power supplies for base
station use or the more standard and more powerful mobile mount size.
The larger and more powerful type radios for mobile use have to
be powered by the vehicle battery (DC) or used as a base station with
an external power supply that converts standard AC power to DC to supply
the radio.

These more powerful radios are
designed for mobile use and do not come with an external power supply so
it will have to be purchased also.

So what
should you buy for a power supply to use the radio in a base
station?

The first thing you need to
know is the operating voltage and current consumption of the radio on full
output transmit.....so how do you find that
out?

Hopefully you
will have the instructions, operating manual, etc that came with the
radio....it should tell you in its specifications section. If you don't
have the "specs", then do a search on the internet using the brand and
model number of the radio and the word "operating manual",
"manual", "users manual", "specifications", etc.

Look for
voltage requirements and transmitter current,
etc.

Most
standard sized mobile radios require 12 to 15 voltsDC. If the transmitter "pulls" 10
amps on full output transmit, then look for an external power supply that
will handle AT LEAST that amount as a continuous rating....AT 12 TO 15
VOLTS DC. Never try to save money by buying a power supply that supplies
LESS than the full rated output of your radio! You WILL NOT SAVE MONEY
when your radio says...NO!It is a good idea to get a power supply with
25 to 50% more output than is needed by the radio so as not to overload
it. It must be fully regulatedmeaning that the DC power coming out of it is very "pure"
with very little voltage changes under full load.Do not use a power supply that is not regulated.It may produce very "dirty" rf and may harm the
internal circuits of the radio, so trying to save some money will cost
dearly in the long run! Just make certain the power supply "specs" can be
matched up with the "specs" of the radio requirements then go with a
higher amp rating than your radio requires on transmit under full load
like FM. If it seems like a bargain price, then maybe you should do more
research....stay away from "too good to be true" pricing unless you have a
more experience ham to help you make the
decision.

It is worth
mentioning that if you buy an older HF radio from the used market that
many of them come with built in power supplies. Do your
research.

Antennas for
the New Ham Station!

The ham
station antenna is the MOST important part of the station!
The first decision you will have
to make is whether or not you intend to talk just locally using repeaters
on 2 meters or the 440 band or also use your privileges on HF
also.......or both. We can define "local" communications using
repeaters on 2 meters and 440 as follows:By local, this
usually means within just a few miles, 10 miles to a 100 or so from
your station depending on many variables. There is really no definition
for the term "local" when it comes to amateur radio when looking at the
big picture.....around the city, county, state, nation, other countries,
the moon.....farther! But on the VHF and UHF bands, like 2 meters or the
440 band, you will be very proud of your station if you can "get out" 50
miles or more on simplex. You can talk much farther with very good
repeaters with their antennas set at high
elevations.

Most of
the very inexpensive homebrew or commercial antennas, if mounted outside
up as high as you can get them, will fill your needs. Even the simple
ground plane type antenna works well for most local communications.

What if you don't have a way to mount
an antenna outside up high?

Here is your
chance to experiment with simple homebrew antennas! Many hams are very
restricted do to several reasons when it comes to antennas and their
locations.

If you
are within a few miles of a 2 meter repeater, then it should be able to
"hear" your signal even with a simple antenna mounted inside your
"shack". Check out the simple 2 meter antennas on the
antenna project page on this web site. Antennas with no gain like the
ground plane type will do a remarkable job over flat terrain or even from
inside the shack but you may want to "spare no expense" (up to a point),
by buying or building an antenna that has several db of gain for
extended range and better coverage. Your antenna decision will depend on
your terrain, location of nearby buildings, etc. Higher above
ground is always better on VHF and as a general rule also on HF.
Always look for dbd rather than dbi in the specs of the ads. The "d" in
dbd stands for dipole. Some antenna makers use the dbi gain figures (free
space), to make the antenna "appear" to have more gain than it actually
does when compared to the standard "reference" dipole. So an antenna rated
as 5 dbd would have more "gain" than the same antenna rated as 5dbi when
compared to the standard.....the dipole.

Building
your own 2 meter antenna can be lots of fun, and easier than you think and
may OUT PERFORM the same type of antenna on the commercial market. It will
be MUCH cheaper than a commercial made equal. You will need very little
"test equipment" for building one that you will be proud to say, "I built
it myself". Basically all you would need would be a good swr/power meter
usable on 2 meters and a few hand tools and materials plus your ham
station transceiver. See theantenna projects on this web site and look under "50mhz and up" for several
homebrew antenna plans and projects.What about mobile only
operating using VHF/UHF repeaters? What antennas should I
choose?This is mostly a personal choice,
but an effective mobile antenna really needs some gain to help you get
your signal out better. Choosing a gain type antenna to an otherwise
non-gain antenna situation, helps the radio signal that you are
transmitting be heard better. Plus as a bonus, you will usually hear the
other stations further. At the present time, there are just too many
options and models to choose from, so shop around and find what best fits
your needs.Vertical or
horizontal polarization antennas?Why the difference between the
two...why not just one type of "polarity"?

Here is a
simple way of looking at polarity as related to
antennas:

Imagine
you have a "beam" of light energy (the transmitted signal), coming
from a transmitter antenna and the "beam" is perfectly straight
up and down (vertical polarity), in the form of this
>
|This energy is being
transmitted over some distance and does not spread...sort of like a laser
beam.

Now place a solid object that is much larger than the
"source beam" between it and a receiver antenna that is trying to see
it, that looks like this > ___Now
imagine the horizontal___
has a slit cut into it from one end to the
other so as to allow energy (rf) to pass thru it. The two lines
represented here are now at opposite "polarity" to each other. One is
vertical and the other is horizontal. There would only be a very tiny
area where the two intersect if they were in the form of a plus
sign.Below is a drawing
that may help you understand better:

Analogy of vertical and
horizontal polarity

So
using this analogy, if both the transmitter antenna and the receive
antenna are the same "polarity" either vertical or horizontal, then the
maximum amount of energy (rf) is passed to the antennas thru the imaginary
"slit". Both antennas are in the same plane relative to the
earth.

If
you plan on strictly using repeaters and talking to mobiles and
simplex (station to station), locally using FM, then build
or buy an antenna that is vertically polarized.This is due to the difficulty of mounting horizontally
polarized antennas on vehicles so vertical polarity is almost always used
on FM. If you want more range to repeaters in different directions, then
go with a vertically polarized Yagi (beam) or a high gain vertical mounted
up as high as you can get it.

If you plan on
using SSB on the lower portion of 2 meters, then horizontal
polarity is the way to go. Most SSB operators on 2 meters use
horizontal polarization unless they are extremly close to each other.
Remember that due to "cross polarization", like in the drawing example
above, both the receive and transmit station must use the same polarity
antenna.

If you
really want to increase your usable range, then look into the Yagi type
(beams). They can be built or bought with gains
exceeding 10 to 15 times or more over standard ground planes or "no gain"
type antennas and depending on their polarity relative to the ground, can
be used with much fun. An antenna with a gain of 10dBd will give you an
erp (effective radiated power), of about 500 watts using a 50 watt signal
to the antenna input assuming no losses in the feedline! As a general
rule, horizontal Yagi types are used on the lower ssb portions of the band
and vertical types are used in most other portions including repeater use.
A rotor that will handle the weight of the Yagi will also be required to
"aim" the antenna toward the other station. NO...you don't need those
rotors costing hundreds of dollars...just a plain simple "Radio
Shack" TV rotor should work well for most Yagi type antennas. Always
do your research on antenna weights, wind loads, etc before
buying a rotor.

Operating Simplex! Operating
simplex (station to station direct without repeaters), can be a very fun
way of using ham radio. It's just a means or method that you use to "talk"
station to station where both stations on each end of the conversation are
on the same frequency and no repeater is involved. Actually, it is the preferred method, if you can reach the
other station using simplex rather than using a repeater.Both the transmitter and receive frequency are the same
and no offsets are used as in repeater operation. Range is usually less
than when using repeaters except under really good band conditions. DX'ing
on 2 meters for distant station contacts can be really a challenge and
loads of fun.

A
warning worth remembering!Portions of the
ham bands including 10 meters are set aside for simplex operations.As a Technician class ham, you are not allowed on
these 10 meter FM frequencies....you would
be illegal and out of your portion of the band! See the band plans for simplex frequencies for each ham band. Learn the simplex
frequencies for your operating privileges!Never operate in the simplex
mode on repeater input or output frequencies.You will cause severe interference and disruption to their
operation and if it continues to happen on other than an accidental basis,
you may hear from the FCC. Even under band conditions where you may not be
unable to hear the repeater,it may hear you if
you are within it's receive range!So try to
remember to stay off repeater frequencies using simplex. (End of
warning)......use the band plan.

If you can communicate using
simplex with the station you want, there is NO NEED to use a repeater
unless you are having difficulty receiving the other station or he is
having trouble hearing you. If your signal can be heard well by the other
station using simplex and you can hear him well, then stay there and don't
tie up an entire repeater system, especially in a busy metro area.
This is just plain common sense! Try first if you must, to make
contact on a repeater the other station may be monitoring, then if a
contact is made and you know you can use simplex between you and
him.....use it! Let the repeater remain open to do it's
job.....repeating....for those who can't use
simplex.

What kind of
coaxial cable do I need for operation on 2 meters or higher
frequencies?

The output
stage of your radio and most modern transceivers will require that
you attach 50 ohm type coaxial cable (also shortened to the word
"coax" between the radio "antenna" connector and the
antenna.

This is the
main and only "pipeline" for getting the rf energy that your radio
produces to the antenna where it is radiated over the air. This "link" in
your total antenna system is probably second in importance of
station equipment. Remember that your antenna should be considered the
first most important, then the coax. Not counting you, the
operator!

If these
two combined parts of your station are poor, so will be your signal over
the air and received and transmitted signals will be weaker or not
heard at all compared to a good antenna system. All of the components and
devices between the antenna connector on the radio up to and
including the antenna is called yourantenna
system.

The idea
of having a good low loss antenna system which consists of the antenna and
it's feedline (the coax), and an efficient antenna, will certainly enhance
your station's performance, so try to pick coax types that have the least
loss in db per foot, like the LMR-400 TYPE that you can afford at your operating frequency relative to
the required length you need to get the signal to the antenna. This means
that you should not be afraid to try a higher loss per foot type coax if
you havevery short runsto the antenna. There is a happy medium when it comes to
station expense....don't over do it unless you have money to burn! Just
because you have a brand new roll of ultra low loss coax in a 100 foot
roll connected to an antenna 10 feet away from the transceiver would not
only be wasteful and expensive...but it would make little to no difference
in your signal on the other end compared to a regular 10 foot length of
less expensive higher loss coax. It's your money....burn it if you want
to. If you can make at least a 3 to 6db or more change for the
better by reducing the loss incurred in the feedline using the
more expensive coax, then by all means consider it...otherwise...don't
bother.

See this article for more on Coaxial Cable Characteristics and Data then come back here when you are done. It will help you
compare different coax types and the amount of loss each type has for a
specified number of feet at a particular
frequency.

Using repeaters
in times of EMERGENCY!Rush hour times of
the day in major metro areas or even in rural areas are usually the
times that major auto accidents happen and may require emergency
radio traffic on the repeater by hams reporting emergencies or needing
police, fire, rescue, etc assistance for whatever reason. Always keep your
NORMAL repeater transmissions SHORT and PAUSE FOR SEVERAL SECONDS
BEFORE ANSWERING THE OTHER STATION DURING NORMAL RUSH HOUR
TIMES!

This
gives valuable time in between transmissions for an emergency call to get
into the repeater. If the emergency call can not be heard because
everyone using the repeater is "Quick Keying", then lives may be
lost.....seconds sometimes
count!

Dialing
911 using a repeater!Lots of repeater
systems are set up with a direct phone patch to 911 police, fire,
etc which can be accessed by the entry of a few key pad strokes on
the mic.

This gives the
ham operator reporting the emergency from his car or where ever he may be
mobile or portable, direct access to the needed emergency people via a
direct phone patch to them using the repeater to access the 911 number
directly. Several seconds or even minutes can be shaved from the process
of breaking into an ongoing conversation and getting the other
station/s to relay the emergency over their telephone.....if they have
one....... by using the direct entry 911 function of the repeater system!
If you have ever had to get vital life saving information to emergency
responders, you know that seconds count and the more people between the
source of the emergency and the emergency responders can make for
confusion with the much needed details of the emergency. Check with your
repeater trustee or owner to see if it has this function and learn how to
operate it.....it may save someone's life in the future...maybe even
yours! It is imperative that the 911 operator knows that you and he/she
are using radio as part of the connection. Make them understand that both
people talking at the same time will not work like on a regular telephone
conversation. Each party must say "over" when they want to hear the other
party. It is the responsibility of the ham radio operator to key and unkey
his mic to accomplish the transmission of both sides of the emergency
contact. The 911 operator has no control over your radio...only you.
Remember, you are the control operator of your
station.

If you hear an
EMERGENCY in progress on the radio, listen carefully first and listen some
more. Take notes if possible...and do not interrupt the station if he has
already made a confirmed contact that will relay the emergency
information. Only contact the sender of the emergency IF and ONLY IF you
can assist him with the emergency. If 10 stations try to talk all at once
to him....no one will hear anything!

If he is
having difficulty in being heard attempting to get anyone's ATTENTION to
report the emergency, then assist him in any way you can to relay his
emergency message to the proper people. Of great importance is the exact
location of the emergency, and then the exact nature of it, how many
people involved, is there a fire, address, etc.

An
emergency dispatcher getting a location of "There's a car wreck on highway 59, and people are hurt
badly" is NOT enough
information! Highway 59 may be 1000 miles long! Give mile
markers, distance and direction form land marks, stores, intersections,
etc. How many people? How many vehicles
involved.

Give
them as muchexact information as you can to help speed up rescue operations.
Saving time.....saves life!

Which direction from what or where on highway 59.
Is there a highway mile marker, billboard, cross street, landmarks,
bridge, overpass, railroad tracks, guesstimate as to mileage from last
town you passed thru, on which side of the road, North, South, East, West,
etc that can be used to find the location with faster accuracy? Give
the 911 operator the information as if you were on the receiving end of
the conversation.THE FEW SECONDS YOU USE TO GATHER EXACT DETAILS MAY
SAVE MINUTES FOR EMERGENCY RESPONDERS AND MAYBE LIVES!

Normal Amateur
Radio Repeater Operations and suggestions for use.

I guess there is no real definition of "Normal Amateur use"
when it comes to activity on ham repeaters. Your local repeater/s may be
idle for hours on end with nothing but the routine repeater CW or voice
"ID".

Then
around the time of "rush hour" when all of those poor working guys an gals
who are attempting to get ahead of those credit card bills have
either started or ended their day driving to or from their work
"QTH", and all of a sudden, the repeater gets very busy with idle chit
chat. I suppose this could be considered "Normal Use" by most hams.The
subjects of conversations spoken on ham repeaters are as varied as
the number of total hams licensed in the U.S., so almost anything goes on
ham repeaters. Keyword in the last sentence......almost, within the bounds of Part
97 FCC rules & regs!

In cases of
"open" nets, roundtables, etc that are scheduled on repeater systems that
you may join in, then feel free to use them. There are many "scheduled"
drive time roundtables or nets on repeaters scattered over the
entire country and by joining into the conversations as your turn comes,
or just listening, can really make the drive time fly and be very
enjoyable. You may even get to meet one of your close friends whom you
have never seen in person, over a cup of coffee on the
way.

Many
repeater systems have practice nets for passing emergency traffic and are
"Directed Nets", meaning that you listen to ALL of the instructions of the
net control operator before you key the microphone. He will inform
everyone within range of the repeater on it's proper use and procedures
during the net. Listen up! Don't break into
an ongoingemergency netUNLESS YOU HAVE EMERGENCY TRAFFIC RELATING TO LIFE AND
LIMB such as reporting a car accident, fire, etc. Again, just common
sense! Only join the net when requested by the net control operator. He
will give many chances for "other stations" to join in. Just be
patient!

Another use of repeaters in many areas is the buying
and selling nets for ham equipment. Kind of like ebay over the air
without the ebay. Normally equipment bids are not made over the air.
Transactions are done directly between buyer and seller. Usually they are
directed by a control operator of the net. (It's his or her turn this
week).

Users
are allowed to "post" their wants, needs, for sale items, trades, etc over
the air and sometimes hundreds of people are listing...kind of like
fishing...you never know what will bite that hook! Some of the larger
repeater systems maintain a web page of postings on the internet and you
can always go to it to see if that "whiz bang thing a ma jig" you are
"needing" is for sale by anyone and where to get it.The same types of swap, sell and trade nets are also on the
HF bands every week or so and sometimes...thousands are
listening......speaking of HF............

Setting up
your station for HF use:

As a
Technician class license holder you now have portions of 80, 40, 15 and 10
meters as operating bands on HF.

Not only do
you have to decide on a "rig", (your radio), but you have to decide on a
good antenna, build it or buy it, where to put it, how high above ground
for the antenna, what bands you want to operate on,
etc.

If you want to
operate only on 10 meters for the time being using your new voice
privileges on ssb, then of course you will need space OUTSIDE. HF antennas
as a general rule do not function well inside, due to surrounding metals
or conductive surfaces of all kinds within the home and hf antennas
are much larger.

A
standard 10 meter dipole put up in the horizontal fashion or even the
inverted V fashion, will take up about 16 feet or so in the horizontal
length and needs to be at least 2 times that length above
ground for best performance. This type of antenna can be homebrewed
with very little expense. (see HF antenna projects
here)

Assuming that
you have decided to build your own HF antenna for 10 meters, you will need
a good swr/power meter for tuning the antenna for best performance on 10
meters or possibly you have decided to also use CW on the other bands like
80, 40, and 15 meters. Either way, most antennas will require some tuning
for best performance....even those right out of the box! The swr/power
meter will give you the needed readings for physically tuning the antenna
length for best performance.

One good
choice of an "all band" standard size antenna for HF (80 thru 10 meters)
would be what is called a multiband doublet. This is a multiband antenna.
You can see plans for it on the antenna projects page. There are many others also. Many great commercial made antennas are
also an option!

You will
need an "antenna tuner" to go along with it and it needs to be fed with
twinlead or ladder line and then you will have an "all band" antenna
that will be very easy to build with little investment other than a good
antenna tuner. If you're not familiar with how antenna tuners operate, then
just read this article on how to use antenna tuners. It also contains a diagram for setting up your hf station
when you become a General class ham! A must
read!

Of
course you also have the option of buying commercial wire type antennas,
Yagis, and verticals that can be used very effectively on HF. You have
many decisions to make when attempting to get on HF due to the lengths of
the antennas at HF frequencies and your space limitations! You can't
get 10 gallons of water into a 5 gallon bucket, however, there are
many limited space type antennas like the TAK-tenna that can really help
you get a good signal out. See the TAK-tenna review on this web site....it works great and is only about 30
inches by 30 inches! It will give you all the bands from 40 meters thru 10
meters in one small antenna used with a tuner. Many hams who have tried
it....love it for it's small size! Keep in mind though that it is designed
for restricted or limited space operation and is not a physically
stretched out antenna as would be required using the standard dipole
formula that you should have learned. Electrically, it is the same, but
physically it is not. It fits it's design purpose to a "T"! Get one if you
are restricted with antenna space on HF. It, like all antennas is a
compromise. Full size antennas are the best.

Coaxial cable
for HF:

The
technical requirements for coax at HF frequencies is not nearly as
stringent as on the upper VHF and bands higher frequencies, so 50-52ohm
types, the RG58 and RG8 and X "types" will work well for you.
These are the50 to 52 ohm types that your radio will require. Try not to
use the 75 ohm types you may have heard of. They are much cheaper, but you
may encounter swr problems due to the automatic mismatch with the 50 ohm
impedence the transmitter requires! If your are a perfectionist, then
money should be no object and you can get the most expensive coax with the
lowest rf loss per foot, but you will be wasting lots of money in most ham
antenna installations!

IMPORTANT...USE
HIGH QUALITY CABLE CONNECTORS (PL-259s)

You can't
expect such good results with your ham station on the air or in the
future unless you use good high quality PL-259 connectors
to begin with. There are many PL-259 connectors on the ham radio
market that come from overseas that are not high quality silver coated
types with good insulation like Teflon. They are cheap
copies with little or no quality control and marked up to
outrageous prices and sold to those who don't know any
better!

Many hams, to save a dime, are using
their old worn out corroded connectors over and over that will eventually
cause them a huge headache. Don't be one of them. Never skimp on rf
connectors...they are your "pathway" to getting a great signal
out!

"So I recommend that you use
new high quality silver coated/brass connectors whenever possible.
I personally have some silver coated PL-259s that I bought in the mid
1960s and they are just as good now as 50 plus years ago!!!! You can't
skimp on quality!"You can quote me on
that! N4UJW

There is
an excellent source of high quality PL-259 connectors made from brass with
a silver coating and Teflon insulation that can be found by clicking
on the banner below and at a price that is hard to beat. Check
out all of their connectors there! You will be glad you did not
skimp on quality to save a few dimes!

What about lightning protection
and grounding safety?An overview of Lightning
Protection for Ham Radio Stations.Presented by the Polyphaser Company
(Considered experts in their field)(Thisis a pdf file. You will
need the Adobe Reader to see it.

Consider your
family (if you have one), when setting up and using your ham
station equipment!

If you are
fortunate enough to have very understanding people in your home, then you
don't really have to worry too much about how the station is set up to
make it pleasing to the eye or how or when to use
it.

But just
consider that if you are not that fortunate, then you may have to
compromise a bit to make everyone happy including
yourself.

Most ham
radio equipment (modern) is very small and and easily placed in a very
small area. This author's "station" including computer equipment fits on
top of a desk with about 4 X 3 feet dimensions or less. The actual station
covering 160 thru 2 meters fits in an area of about the size of a 2
foot cube on that desk! Of course my station may not be typical, it could
be larger or smaller than yours. I have no doubt that you will change your
station layout many times before you are pleased with it. Most computer
desks make for nice setups for a modest ham station....so does an old
wooden door across a couple of saw horses...it's your
station.

Turn that
"noise" down!I do a lot
of listening as do most hams at odd hours when the family is asleep or
when they do not want to be disturbed by all that "noise" coming from
"those" radios.....so this is quickly eliminated with a simple set of
headphones! You may want to consider adding a pair to your station. Most
transceivers have a headphone or external speaker jack.....use it when
possible. Get yourself a comfortable set of headphones that cover both
ears with soft cushions that cover the entire ear. This will help in
reducing outside noises in the "shack" or nearby noises created within the
home. Don't forget though that some of the "noises" from the family, may
be important to hear....like the phone ringing....call to eat....knock at
the door, etc.

One of the
most annoying "sounds" coming from the speaker of a ham radio to lots of
family members is that "Morse code stuff"! Enter headphones...problem
gone! Data modes can also be very "noisy" to other members of the
family....headphones again.I think you get the
point....compromise....if at all possible!.......they live there
too!

Where can I
get more personal help if I need it with my ham station
setup?

Make some good local ham friends on the
air who have more experience!

When you start
out making contacts over the air, you will soon learn that there are other
operators out there that have much more experience than you do. You will
not only be talking to other new Technician class operators, but you will
have contacts with Tech Plus, Generals, Advanced and Extra class
operators. Many of them will have half a century or more
experience with ham radio! Get to know your contacts. Ask the
more experienced hams to help you with your questions. Some may even help
you with your antenna installations and all they expect is a nice thank
you, cool drink in the summer, warm one in the winter and maybe a nice
meal or a snack. You can make some great lasting friendships by having an
"antenna raising party" using some of your new ham friends. Get the OK
from the wife before hand.....just a word of
warning!

One
thing I have learned in all my years in ham radio is the fact that when I
do a simple favor for ham friends, it is most often returned to me by them
many times over. The sharing of information and ideas and
friendship among ham radio operators worldwide has existed from the
beginning of ham radio over 100 years ago.Continue with the tradition by attempting to help another
ham whenever possible.You will be glad you
did. Many great friendships have been brought about by contacts on the air
and the volunters for help when needed.

Lots of hams belong to
local ham radio clubs and joining a club can be of great value to you in
expanding your circle of ham friends that can help you and you will get
many friends for life in the process. Most of the "old timers" love to
help when they can and they enjoy being an "Elmer" and "spouting off"
their wisdom. Listen to them, ask questions......you will
learn.

To find
ham radio clubs in your area just do a search on the ARRL web site at
www.arrl.orgLook for the "Clubs" section at top of their home
page.

I hope
this article has helped you in some small way in setting up or planning
your first ham radio station. Just try to think everything out...planning
and more planning and you will have a station you will be proud of that
will put your hard earned call sign ON THE AIR! DON'T LET YOUR LICENSE
GATHER DUST.....USE IT! Then whenever possible, invite some of your
non-ham friends over to your "shack", then you can show them just how much
fun they could be having if they were a ham.....like you!Next, set
yourself a goal...... learn something new about ham radio every
day...and use that to your advantage in advancing in Ham Radio! Have
FUN!

Editor notes:
To all ham radio clubs...please feel free to us any of this article that
may be needed for training new operators as you see fit. Please email me
and let me know where it is being used and please give proper
credit....Some links may be removed as needed by you without
permission.73 Don, N4UJW at
HAMUNIVERSE.COM